Netgear Orbi 770 Series Review

Netgear Orbi 770 Series: Introduction

In June, Netgear unveiled the latest addition to its ever-expanding Orbi lineup: the Orbi 770 tri-band mesh system.

Designed to deliver the enhanced performance and security of Wi-Fi 7, the Orbi 770 series aims to make cutting-edge connectivity more accessible for less than half the price of the networking specialist’s flagship Orbi 970 series.

The home networking specialist’s first Wi-Fi 7 mesh system, the 970, is incredibly fast but also incredibly expensive to the point that it’s hard to see who could justify the expense.

For the Netgear Orbi 770 series, the company returns with a more affordable Wi-Fi 7 system with a price that also massively undercuts the Eero Max 7.

It doesn’t have the top speeds or range of wired Ethernet ports as its bigger brother, but this mesh system is still fast and reliable and a much better value.

Configuration and specifications

• Two or three-pack systems available
• 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet networking
• Tri-band networks

As with the 970 Series, the Netgear Orbi 770 Series ditches the older, bulbous Orbi design (as seen on models like the Orbi LBR20 4G LTE) for the slimmer towers you can see in the images.

All Orbi systems are made up of a router and then additional satellites that are distributed throughout the home.

You can purchase this system in a two-pack as the RBE772 (one router, one satellite) or in a three-pack as the RBE773 (one router, two satellites). Additional satellites can be purchased individually.

It’s Netgear’s most affordable Wi-Fi 7 mesh system to date, with a three-pack costing $999.99 and a two-pack for $699.99; compared to $2,299.99 and $1,699.99 for the same 970-node configuration.

That makes the Netgear Orbi 770 series a great value: a three-pack costs less than a single 970 series satellite.

One way Netgear has reduced the cost is by eliminating the 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports entirely. Instead, the router has one 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port for Internet and three additional 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports for LAN.

2.5 Gigabit Ethernet is still a nice improvement over traditional Gigabit Ethernet and has the advantage that you can run it over existing Cat 5E cables.

With satellites, you only get two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Satellites can be connected to the router using 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, creating wired backhaul. This can be useful as it frees up Wi-Fi space for clients and means you can place a satellite anywhere an Ethernet cable can reach, such as in a garden office.

Internally, the router and satellites have the same Wi-Fi 7 specification. Each device has a 6 GHz 2×2 network that can run up to 5760 Mbit/s, a 5 GHz 2×2 system that can run up to 4320 Mbit/s and a 2.4 GHz 2×2 network that can operate up to 688 Mbit/s.

There are six Wi-Fi streams per device, which are shared between clients and between the router and satellites. As this is a Wi-Fi 7 device, the 5GHz and 6GHz bands can be combined for additional performance.

Characteristics

• Security and optional parental controls
• iot network
• The web interface offers a few more options.

Setup is done through the Orbi app, which takes you to connecting the router to the Internet and then setting up a secure Wi-Fi network. It’s an easy-to-use app and offers remote control through a Netgear account, so you can control your router even when you’re not at home.

With the app, you could see which devices were connected to the network, control the Wi-Fi network name and password, and turn the guest network on and off.

As with all Orbi devices, parental controls are available. Opt for the free version and you can create a profile for each person in your house and assign devices.

Then there is a simple pause control if you want to disable a profile’s Internet access.

Pay for the service (£59.99/$69.99 per year) and you’ll be able to set bedtimes, schedules and use web filtering. For parents, it’s a choice worth making.

Netgear Armor is a paid security service (£84.99/$99.99 per year), which adds BitDefender-based security to your home network, plus client software you can use on any smartphone, Windows computer or Mac.

Again, it’s a worthwhile upgrade, although having two separate systems is a bit annoying. I’m told Netgear is looking to simplify its offering.

Open the web interface and you’ll get control over channels used by the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, but not the 6GHz network.

There is also an option to activate the IoT network, which runs a separate, more compatible network for smart home devices.

Performance

• Very fast at close range.
• Reliable and stable
• Speeds drop at long distance from a satellite

I tested the Netgear Orbi 770 series with the OpenSpeedTest server running on a desktop computer connected via 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, using an iPhone 16 Pro as a Wi-Fi 7 client.

At close range, 5m from the router, I found speeds to be 1279.35 Mbit/s, which is faster than standard Gigabit Ethernet. That’s well behind the speeds the Eero Max 7 and Orbi 970 series can offer.

I placed a 770 series satellite on my first floor and moved there so I was about 10 meters from the router. Speeds here were good at 934.07 Mbit/s, which is similar to Gigabit Ethernet speeds.

Going up to my loft room, where I didn’t have satellite so I was connected to the one on the first floor, I got speeds of 483.80 Mbit/s.

That’s a bit of a drop, but still the performance is faster than I’ve seen from Wi-Fi 6 systems. It shows that your system drops more into satellite range than with the more expensive Eero and Orbi 970 series .

Final thoughts

The Netgear Orbi 770 series is excellent value for money for Wi-Fi 7 and is more affordable in price than its direct rivals. Short distance speed is very good and although speeds drop when you are far from a satellite, performance still outperforms Wi-Fi 6 systems and the Orbi was very reliable and stable.

If you’ve been longing for Wi-Fi 7, but the price of mesh systems made you think otherwise, this well-priced system may change your mind.

how we test

When we publish our reviews, you can be sure that they are the result of “living with” long-term testing.

Home Wi-Fi devices play a key role in controlling a smart home ecosystem or a range of products that supposedly all work in harmony.

Because we test smart home kit all day, every day, we know what matters and how a particular smart controller compares to alternatives you might also be considering.

Our reviews are complete, objective and fair, and of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.

Read our guide on how we test for more information.

Frequently asked questions

Netgear Orbi 770 Series Specifications